Why does distilled water not conduct electricity whereas rainwater does

Answer: Conduction of electricity can be described as the motion of the particles that are charged. The particles move in an organized manner in a material. The movement of the charged particles results in the generation of electricity. The movement of ions is important for the generation of electricity but the ions are absent in the distilled water whereas present in the rainwater and hence there is a presence of electricity in the latter.

Many of us are aware of the fact that water conducts electricity. But, one thing that we all should know that chemistry is full of exceptions. Most people have doubts about the conductivity of distilled water. So, in this article, I will try to make you guys understand the properties and conductivity of distilled water. Does distilled water conduct electricity? No, distilled water doesn’t conduct electricity. Distilled water is a pure form of water that does not contain any dissolved impurities due to which no free ions are present to conduct electricity. Distilled water has a neutral PH value (neither acidic nor basic). Distilled water is free of any other impurity apart from the water molecules and they do not have the free ions in it to flow through which electric current is produced. We can define Ions as positively or negatively charged molecules or single atoms. They flow towards the oppositely charged particle so as to become stable because they are not stable or neutral. Na+ (Sodium-ion), Cl- (Chloride ion), S2- (Sulphide ion) are some of the common examples of the ions. Basically, free ions are responsible for passing the electric current through the water. Free ions are mobile in nature which flows from the negative terminal to positive terminal when a potential difference is applied across the water. Electrons have a negative charge, hence they repel negative charges and attract towards the positive charges. Therefore, the distilled water is an insulator because...

INTEXT QUESTIONS Q1. You have been provided with three test tubes. One of them contains distilled water and the other two contain an acidic solution and a basic solution, respectively. If you are given only red litmus paper, how will you identify the contents of each test tube? Ans. If the colour of red litmus paper gets changed to blue, then it is a base and if there is no colour change, then it is either acidic or neutral. Thus, basic solution can be easily identified. Let us mark the three test tubes as A, B, and C. A drop of the solution in A is put on the red litmus paper. Same is repeated with solution Band C. If either of them changes colour to blue, then it is basic. Therefore, out of three, one is eliminated. Out of the remaining two, any one can be acidic or neutral. Now a drop of basic solution is mixed with a drop of each of the remaining two solutions separately and then the nature of the drops of the mixtures is checked. If the colour of red litmus turns blue, then the second solution is neutral and if there is no change in colour, then the second solution is acidic. This is because acidic and basic solutions neutralize each other. Hence, we can distinguish between the three types of solutions. INTEXT QUESTIONS Q1. Why should curd and sour substances not be kept in brass and copper vessels? Ans. Curd and other sour substances contain acids. Therefore, when they are kept in brass and copper vessels, the metal reacts with the acid to liberate hydrogen gas and h...